The Pinellas Public Library Cooperative member libraries are now offering the NetSmartz Internet Safety program on designated computers in the libraries. Kids and teens are able to participate in a safety education program and learn in an interactive environment. Programs are offered for the following grade levels:

K-2 3-6 7-12

Once you complete the NetSmartz program on a public library computer, you are eligible to receive:

NetSmartz® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.

The goal of the NetSmartz Workshop is to extend the safety awareness of children to prevent victimization and increase self-confidence whenever they go online. These goals include to

enhance the ability of children to recognize dangers on the Internet

enhance the ability of children to understand that people they first "meet" on the Internet should never be considered their friend

encourage children to report victimization to a trusted adult

support and enhance community education efforts

increase communication between adults and children about online safety

The NetSmartz Workshop teaches children the rules for online safety.

I will tell an adult I trust if anything makes me feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.

I will ask my parents or guardian before sharing my personal information.

I won't meet in person with anyone I have first "met" online.

Since the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was established in 1984, it has worked to make children safer. In 1994, long before this nation realized that the Internet might pose a threat to the safety of its youngest computer users, NCMEC published a brochure titled Child Safety on the Information Highway, providing families with a roadmap to stay safer in cyberspace. Later, when cases of online child enticement garnered front-page news nationwide, NCMEC's brochure, Teen Safety on the Information Highway, became the first publication of its kind to try to prepare teens for the risks they face online. Every year more and more children of all ages go online to study, have fun, and communicate with the world at large. Just as the numbers of kids online have grown, so have the dangers they face.

The NetSmartz Workshop was created to meet that growing need in an unprecedented way. The NetSmartz Workshop provides Boys & Girls Clubs of America with original, animated characters and age-appropriate, interactive lessons on CD-ROM that use the latest 3-D and web technologies to entertain while they educate. Boys & Girls Clubs leaders and children played vital roles in helping to refine the appearance of the characters and program content, helping to ensure that the NetSmartz messages were on target and characters appealed to the respective age groups. In September 2001 the NetSmartz Workshop content was pilot-tested and later released to all Clubs nationwide in August 2002.